Everything passes, and what remains of former times, what remains of life, is the spiritual. In everything we do, the claim of the Absolute is unchanging.
Paul KleeRead
My mirror probes down to the heart. I write words on the forehead and around the corners of the mouth. My human faces are truer than the real ones.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects on the deeper understanding of human expression and identity through art.
Paul Klee emphasizes the role of art in capturing the true essence of human emotions and identities, suggesting that his artistic representations reveal deeper truths than mere physical appearances. By metaphorically probing the 'heart', he implies that genuine expression lies beyond superficial features, highlighting the connection between art and true human experience.
Themes
ArtIdentityExpressionTruthHumanCreativity
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a speech about the impact of art on human expression.
More from Paul Klee
All quotes βThe painter should not paint what he sees, but what will be seen.
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To emphasize only the beautiful seems to me to be like a mathematical system that only concerns itself with positive numbers.
Paul KleeRead
You adapt yourself to the contents of the paintbox.
Paul KleeRead
It is a great difficulty and a great necessity to have to start with the smallest.
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All art is a memory of age-old things, dark things, whose fragments live on in the artist.
Paul KleeRead
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